The present invention relates generally to portable suction tube inlet devices which float in a body of water so that the suction tube may withdraw water from the body of water from a point which is just beneath the surface of the body of water. Additionally, the present invention relates to suction tube inlet devices which withdraw water from a body of water without causing a vortex or whirlpool effect on the surface of the water. Further, the present invention relates generally to suction tube inlet devices which withdraw water from a body of water while preventing the flow of water toward the inlet device from stirring up particulate matter and sediment from beneath the float and carrying it to the inlet device. This last point is particularly important in the later stages of draining a body of water, when the floating inlet device is near the bottom of the body of water.
The best way for withdrawing substantially clean water from a pond or other body of water containing substantial amounts of sediment and suspended solids is to withdraw water from the surface of the body of water. Gravity draws sediment and suspended solids, which have a higher specific gravity than water, downward toward the bottom of the pond. Thus, the water nearest the surface is the"cleanest" water; that is, it has the lowest concentration of sediment and suspended solids.
A variety of filtering devices for withdrawing substantially clean water from a body of water containing particulate matter, such as sediment ponds, trenches, and waste water ponds, have been described over the years. In 1879, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 222,140 disclosed a floating filter having a buoyant chamber and a filtration chamber. This system, however, does not effectively prevent formation of a vortex on the surface of the water, or protect the inlet of the filtration chamber from particulates. Over a century later, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,855, a method of using a float to support the end of a suction tube just beneath the surface of a body of water was described. The end of the suction tube was covered with a filter to prevent particulates from entering the tube. However, the suction tube in this device was connected to a pump for applying suction to the tube through an underground passage. This makes the device inconvenient to install. Additionally, the device, once installed, is not portable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide portable suction tube inlet devices which float just beneath the surface of a body of water so that the suction tube may withdraw water from the body of water without disturbing subsurface particulate matter. It is a further object of the present invention to provide suction tube inlet devices which withdraw water from a body of water without causing a vortex on the surface of the water. It is a third object of the present invention to provide suction tube inlet devices which prevent particulate matter and sediment from beneath the float from being carried to the suction tube inlet.